Page 110 of Tasting Red

I cross the room and pluck the book from her grasp before setting it back on the shelf. Then I throw her over my shoulder. She lets out a surprised yip as I give her behind a sound slap. Bombs and Bangs have snuggled down in their makeshift pen in the corner, having been fed a metric ton of treats for enduring the plane ride so well.

Rabbits riding in a private jet,ridiculous.

“What do you say Gigi, want to get a piercing or tattoo with us when we go to Portland?” Goldie says. They’ve been working on her for a while.

Cinder grins. “I know the guy who runs the parlor.”

“Yes,” Gigi taps her lower lip thoughtfully, her pearl bracelet falling down her wrist. “I can’t decide between a cookie with a bite out of it, or maybe Scarlett and Samantha’s names?”

Cinder’s grin turns positively feral. “We can get my guy to make a design that incorporates all three.”

Gigi’s eyes light up.

“Are we going to take a walk down by the ocean or what?” I prompt, still not having let Red down. She is currently poking my butt, hoping to annoy me. Little minx.

The women immediately get in line, grabbing their jackets, ready to enjoy the staggering views my remote abode offers. Before I turn, my eyes catch on the copy ofPride and Prejudice.

Red must have snuck it here in her suitcase. She knows I like to keep it close by. My heart squeezes.

Red gave it to me at Christmas. She got it from Gigi’s house, and it had belonged to her mother. So while I lost my copy to the alphahole that is my father, I got the piece of her back. It mattered more than ever. I tried to tell Red it’s not because I’m a sap, it’s because I’ve got wolf level loyalty. The truth may lie somewhere between.

I’d spent a fair amount of time regretting ever helping the woman who got me banished from my family. But now, I see how the pack I have now is a million times better. I send up a quick thank you to wherever Samantha is and duck out the—albeit,slightlycircular–doorway with Red still over my shoulder. The ring digging in my pocket will be sealed with the promise of her happily ever after–finance degree, rabbits, friends, family and all.